Newspaper Page Text
DECEMBER 24,2002
Stillwater going strong after 30 years
By Luci Joullian
Staff Writer
Stillwater will hold a
reunion concert on Friday,
December 27th at Whiskey
River. Says Stillwater’s Mike
Causey, “not only is it a
reunion for us, but also for the
people that came out to see us
and hung out with us for
years. We’ll see people we
haven’t seen in years. It’s kind
of like going to a school
reunion.”
This reunion will be a special
one, though, in that it marks
30 years since Warner Robins
boys Causey, Rob Walker, Bob
Spearman, Jimmy Hall, Sebie
Lacey, Bobby Golden and A 1
Scarborough formed the band
in 1973. The band members,
who knew each other since
childhood, left college in 1973
and began to pursue music full
time. They performed around
the southeast for a few years
and then signed on with
Capricorn Records and put out
their first album, entitled
“Stillwater,” in 1977.
With the help of legendary
music producer and Capricorn
founder, Phil Walden,
“Mindbender,” a single on the
band’s first album was a top
forty hit across the country
and went all the way to #1 in
several markets. While this
Local delegation looks toward 2003 Assembly session
< - vliipy
||fl|Sj *B ' MR-:.
IBh. 8
Jlj
I _HL -OB
Photo by Charlotte Perkins
Rep. Larry O’Neal speaks at the breakfast.
By Charlotte Perkins
Staff Writer
Four members of Houston
County’s legislative delegation
spoke last Thursday to mem
bers of the Warner Robins
Chamber of Commerce and a
host of county and city govern
ment officals at the Chamber’s
annual “Eggs and Issues”
breakfast.
Issues touched on in the free
wheeling, informal session
included expectations of a very
tight budget for the upcoming
General Assembly session;
plans to work with Governor
elect Sonny Perdue; drought;
human services funding, and
the future of the two-party sys
tem in Georgia.
Representatives Larry
Walker, D-Perry; Larry O’Neal,
R-Wamer Robins; Robert Ray,
D-Crawford County; and
Senator-elect Ross Tolleson, R-
Perry were present for the
event.
Sen. Robert Brown, D-
Macon, who represents a small
portion of northern Houston
County, and Sen. Seth Harp, R-
Midland, who represents a sub
stantial portion of middle and
western Houston County, were
not present.
Rep. Larry Walker, in a
relaxed mood, drew a laugh
from the crowd when he reflect
ed on past and present delega
tions, saying that there have
been “Two Sonnys, two Walkers
and two Larrys, and at one time
a Watson, a Walker and a
Waddle.”
Walker said that the coming
year would mean “hard times”
in Gerogia, and noted that just
one local nursing home stood to
lose $700,000 due to declining
tax revenues and resulting state
seemed to be a sure road to
fame, Causey says that
Capricorn hadn’t anticipated
and wasn’t prepared for the
reaction that the band’s first
single attracted. He says,
“afterwards, Phil said, ‘we lost
that one, but we won’t lose the
next one.’” Causey continues,
“Then we put out the next
album, which was “I Reserve
the Right,” and then the label
went bankrupt. So it was just a
case of wrong place, wrong
time.”
The members of Stillwater
parted ways in 1983, but came
together once again ta record a
live album, “Running Free,”
produced by the renowned
Rodney Mills, and released
under Stillwater’s own label in
1998.
The band garnered a second
wave of recognition when the
movie “Almost Famous” was
released in 2000. The film,
which was a semiautobio
graphical account of director
Cameron Crowe’s time as a
music reporter for Rolling
Stone, centered around a band
called Stillwater. “They want
ed to use our name,” says
Causey. “The movie really was
n’t about us, but it could have
been,” he adds. “In reality, it’s
kind of funny because, I mean,
we were about almost famous,”
cutbacks.
However, he said that he
thought “education will be
spared.”
On a positive note, Walker
said that he was “excited about
our new governor,” calling Gov.-
Elect Perdue “a man of integri
ty.”
Walker, who is currently
working in alliance with Perdue
to win the position of Speaker of
the House through a coalition
vote, said, “I’m living in inter
esting times, complex times.”
He described recent weeks as
“an emotional rollercoaster,”
but said that he felt good about
Closings
The HHJ offices will be closed
Dec. 25-27 in observance of
Christmas. The City of Perry offices
and Houston County offices will be
closed Dec. 24 and 25. Warner
Robins offices will be closed Dec.
25-27. Centerville city offices will
close at noon Dec. 24 and reopen
Dec. 27.
tEh* Mmtstmt Moth*
he laughs.
Causey and the other mem
bers of Stillwater aren’t ones
to dwell on the past, though.
Every member of the group
has stayed a part of the music
scene. Causey, Lacey and
Scarborough now enjoy occa
sionally playing in a band they
call The Hasbeens. The group
recently performed at a
fundraiser for Governor-elect
Sonny Perdue.
This year’s reunion concert
will pay tribute to band mem
ber and keyboard player Bob
Spearman, who died earlier
this year after battling cancer.
“It was very unexpected,” says
Causey. “When Bob passed
away, that was very sad. When
we do these reunions, we real
ize that we can’t do it forever.
You just don’t know what’s
going to happen.”
But for now, Stillwater is
still going strong. Their song,
“I Reserve the Right,” will be
featured on an upcoming
episode of the Sci Fi Channel’s
new television series,
“Tremors.” “It’s kind of funny
how things come full circle,”
muses Causey. “This is 30
years we’ve been together and
this is kind of an important
year, a little mile mark.”
Causey says that he is con
stantly amazed at the tales he
his chances, and that he would
“either be Speaker of the House
or a totally independent repre
sentative.”
Rep. Ray, who is recovering
from heart surgery, thanked
those present for their support
during his “seven bypasses and
three tune-ups,” and expressed
concern about Georgia’s water
supply and the economic impact
of the sustained drought.
Ray referred to Perdue as
“the smartest man I know”,
adding, “the main thing is that
he has good common horse
sense.”
Commenting on the possibili
ty of party-switching, Ray said
that if he changed parties at any
point, it would not be ‘right
after an election,” and noted
that “I’ve always voted conser
vative, always voted my con
science.”
Ray initially declined to com
ment on how he will vote in the
speaker’s race between Larry
Walker and Terry Coleman, but
apparently told members of the
press at later time that he had
made a commitment to vote for
Coleman.
Rep. O’Neal, who will be one
of Perdue’s floor leaders in the
house, spoke with warmth of
Walker and Ray and the help
they gave him during his first
session in the legislature. Asked
about the future of mental
health and human service fund
ing in Georgia, O’Neal said that
the whole system will be under
review, and noted that while
earlier funding formula’s had
“sounded great”, the end result
had been that Houston
County’s mental health services
lost money.
Sen. Tolleson reiterated his
campaign pledge to “be a work
horse, not a show horse,” and
won a round of applause when
he said that “It’s fabulous to
have the next governor from
Houston County and to have
the next speaker of the house
-mkrnm - : M
■
, 4 H. M
Hr * •
qmbbv! z nsnunK
' '■* -,i 4*, . i y ■ ■ *.'V " v .- v .
-a s. r>* : : ■
(L-r), Mike Causey and Sebie
Lacey of Stillwater rehearse
for their reunion concert at
Whiskey River.
hears of Stillwater fans from
all over the country. “People
come up to us all the time and
we’re always hearing stuff
about how people recognize
and remember us,” he says.
“It’s amazing how it comes
back to you. It’s kind of like
the past to us, but it still just
pops up every other day.”
from Houston County.”
Tolleson told the audience
that his grandfather, James
Douglas Shannon, Jr., of Twiggs
County had served in the house
and the senate in the early 20th
century, and said jokingly that
his mother had already warned
him to do the right things in
Atlanta.
A-1 CLEANERSX SUPERIOR CLEANERS
1220 Russell Pkwy., Warner Robins \ 2509 Moody Rd., Warner Robins
(Next To Advanced Auto) (Next To My Father’s Place Pizza)
Mon. Frl. 7am - 7pm • Sal. 7am - 6pm Mm. - Sat 7am -10 pm • Sun. 9am ■ 7pm
922-5739 918-0029
■ 5 PC.
! DRY CLEAN |
i *ll * 5 i
I Silk, Linings & Pleats Extra |
■ Mi Coupon ■ foe Capon Pei Cistra Ity W Be Cartred.
WtiAnyOtwOfetotaiißeaiclKreAppiy
25° /o Off All Merchandise
50 ° /o Off All Christmas Merchandise
Dec. 27th - Jan. 4th
923-0000
504 Russell PRwy
■■■
*33 FOR £. PHONES
*with SL value plan activation of phones.
HH We Are Your Southern LINC and Nextel
i3osx Phone Accessory Superstore! I
1819 Watson Blvd. (Next To Cold's 6ym) ff.7o) 444 OKIE
a Warner Robins m* OJ afcfc'uu 13
H> mm mm h mm wmm wmm mm mm wmm mm ■
H LANDINGS
Golf Club
Winter Golf Special
on°°
yXiU /Person
Monday-Friday
t^tzoo
yiAil /Person
| Weekends & Holidays
- , , (Price includes 18 Hole Greens' Fee and Cart Fee)
MUST PRESENT COUPON
Coupon Good for 1-4 Players
Valid Thru February 28, 2003
; www.landingsgolfclub.com
(478) 923-5222
BEEkL. JjEj W 309 Statham’s Way
' Warner Robins, GA 3 1088
SABVE PAY SERVICE I
10 Pieces
DRY CLEAN
Dress Counts As 2 Pieces
SO-195
Wti Ca«r • One Coifor Pet Cusßro May to Be Cirtrec
nt V' (w ?s> vsxifi
KITCHEN GALLERY'S
/% ■« ■■ «■ I /% I*l c* ■*
Christmas Sale
SHIRT
SPECIAL
99*
Shirts Laundered
9ttibi^*(>eCoipmPpCusa>ierHayNaßeContral
MtafOtaOfeCMcfelrcigisWii
• UNIFORMS •
* Laundered • Dry Cleaned 1
|
! Mi Capon l ■ Ore Capm Pa Customer Up MBe CrimJ!
IhfciOtoOfeCtitoMMW)
PAGE 7A
i JEANS i
l Laundred With ■
Heavy Starch
i *3°° i
Wtfity Otis Ofe tear faiSreWl